June 30, 2010

The decision on the 2012 IndyCar was supposed to be made by today, June 30. IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard has said recently that the decision might be made by today, but the announcement won't be for a week or two.

UPDATE: Indy Star's Curt Cavin reported Wednesday afternoon the announcement will be on July 14.

Hope springs eternal for a multiple-chassis ruling, but several chassis makers have said unless they can have the economy of scale of supplying the whole field, they can't afford to offer a chassis at all.

Shannon McIntosh will get USAC Midgety in her Glass Hammer Racing ride tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern. The Speedrome is located at 802 South Kitley Avenue in Indianapolis. McIntosh will be driving her new USAC Midget.

June 29, 2010

It’s an Indy-pendence celebration at Watkins Glen International and there’s something for everyone.

The fun kicks off July 2 when a fireworks display will take place at 9:45 PM. Fans in the Village of Watkins Glen can watch the fireworks over Seneca Lake from Clute Park.

Carnival food, rides and games along with samples from some of the top local wineries will complement the party. The IZOD IndyCar Series Fan Zone also will be at the park.

Following IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights qualifying on July 3, fans can gather for autographs from their favorite drivers (3:30-4:30 p.m.). The off-track action doesn’t stop as the sun sets. There are two concerts on the Red Cat Summer Stage (7 p.m.-dusk), wine tasting and food (of course) and a special fireworks display at 9:45.

Fans that purchase a July 4 race day-only ticket will be permitted to enter the track starting at 5 p.m. July 3. Youngsters 15 and younger receive a general admission ticket free with the purchase of an adult ticket.

Is the announcement that IndyCar is teaming up with Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) family of tracks at New Hampshire Motor Speedway the opening salvo of a fender vs. open wheel battle royal?

Will it be NASCAR & International Speedway Corporation (ISC) tracks vs. IndyCar & SMI? After all, last weekend Randy Bernard repeatedly called Burton Smith one of his "heroes" for his promotional prowess, and the relationship between NASCAR-owned ISC and IndyCar has been tenuous at best.

Firestone Indy Lights driver Pippa Mann likes to “dress like a girl.” For an interview at Iowa Speedway, she turned up in her typical non-fire suit attire.

“I have jangly stuff on my wrists; I’m wearing flip-flops that have sparkly bits on them; my Pippa Mann tops (see photo at right) are hardly your usual thing,” she says. “People say to me ‘Why do you turn up the track with all this crap on your face and in your ears and on your wrists? Why don’t you just show up and do the job? I'm sure people would pay that much less attention to you when it went badly if you did that.’”

And that’s challenge, said Mann, 26, who is from Ipswich, England. Walking the line between “the girl thing” and “the racing driver thing.”

Three Firestone Indy Lights drivers said during their June stop at Iowa Speedway that although they came to America because of economics, their life in the minors has also included a crash course in marketing.

Drivers Gustavo Yacaman from Colombia and Martin Plowman and Pippa Mann from England all said a huge cost pothole in the European road to Formula 1 caused them to look for an American alternative.